Satellites - Orbital Velocity & Period
If suddenly the gravitational force of attraction between Earth and a satellite revolving around it becomes zero, then the satellite will
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Answer: (b)
- Gravity provides the centripetal force that keeps bending the path into a circle.
- If it becomes zero, no force acts, so by Newton's first law the satellite moves in a straight line along its velocity at that instant.
- That velocity is tangent to the orbit, with the same magnitude.
- So the answer is (b) it moves tangentially with the same velocity.